Asked by: Justin Madders (Labour - Ellesmere Port and Neston)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions she has had with stakeholders on tackling shortages of atorvastatin.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
There have been supply issues with atorvastatin, but as a result of our work to manage those issues, including engaging with alternative suppliers to cover supply gaps in order to meet demand, they have now been resolved.
The medicine supply chain is highly regulated, complex, and global. Supply disruption is an issue which affects the United Kingdom, as well as other countries around the world. There can be a variety of causes, including manufacturing issues, problems with access to raw ingredients, and sudden spikes in demand.
Whilst we can’t always prevent supply issues, the Department has well-established tools and processes to manage them, in order to mitigate risks to patients. We work closely with the pharmaceutical industry, NHS England, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, and others operating in the supply chain to help ensure patients continue to have access to suitable medicines when supply is disrupted.
Asked by: Justin Madders (Labour - Ellesmere Port and Neston)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions she has had with relevant stakeholders on tackling shortages of Etoricoxib.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department is aware that a supplier of etoricoxib 60 milligram tablets is experiencing a supply issue. We have been working with that supplier to address the issue, and resupply is expected in early May 2024. We have worked with alternative suppliers to ensure they can cover the gap in the market in the meantime.
The medicine supply chain is highly regulated, complex, and global. Supply disruption is an issue which affects the United Kingdom, as well as other countries around the world. There can be a variety of causes, including manufacturing issues, problems with access to raw ingredients, and sudden spikes in demand.
Whilst we can’t always prevent supply issues, the Department has well-established tools and processes to manage them, in order to mitigate risks to patients. We work closely with the pharmaceutical industry, NHS England, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, and others operating in the supply chain to help ensure patients continue to have access to suitable medicines when supply is disrupted.
Asked by: Justin Madders (Labour - Ellesmere Port and Neston)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what the expenditure on TV licence reminder letters was in each year since 2020.
Answered by Julia Lopez - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
Under the Communications Act 2003, the BBC is responsible for the collection and enforcement of the licence fee, not the Government. The BBC’s role in enforcing the Licence Fee is set out in the Royal Charter. The BBC carries this out under the trading name TV Licensing.
Data on the cost of licence fee collection for TV Licensing is contained in their published annual reviews. The cost of collection data does contain partial disaggregation into different cost categories, however exact data on the cost of administering TV licence reminder letters is unavailable.
Further information on costs and administering the licence fee can be found directly on the TV Licensing website: https://www.tvlicensing.co.uk/about/our-performance-AB6
Asked by: Justin Madders (Labour - Ellesmere Port and Neston)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to the oral Answer of the Minister for Energy Security and Net Zero to the Question from the hon. Member for Ellesmere Port and Neston of 19 September 2023, Official Report, column 1231, when he plans to write to the hon. Member for Ellesmere Port and Neston.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The then Minister of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, the Rt. Hon. Graham Stuart, wrote to the Hon. Member on 11 April 2024.
Asked by: Justin Madders (Labour - Ellesmere Port and Neston)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
What estimate her Department has made of the cost to leaseholders of complying with the proposed heat network technical standards requirements.
Answered by Amanda Solloway - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
All heat network regulation is designed to be proportionate, to deliver better quality of service, and to reduce costs in the longer term.
The Department continues work on introducing effective technical standards for heat networks while protecting consumers from excessive costs.
Asked by: Justin Madders (Labour - Ellesmere Port and Neston)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what her planned timetable is for publishing a response to the Hughes Report on compensation for patients damaged by sodium valproate, published 7 February 2024.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
The Government commissioned the Patient Safety Commissioner (PSC) to produce a report on redress for those affected by sodium valproate and pelvic mesh. We are grateful to the PSC and her team for completing this report, and our sympathies remain with those affected by sodium valproate and pelvic mesh. The Government is now carefully considering the PSC’s recommendations, and will respond substantively in due course.
Asked by: Justin Madders (Labour - Ellesmere Port and Neston)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether she has made a recent assessment of the use of compensatory uplifts by Employment Tribunals.
Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Under section 207A of the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992, Employment Tribunals have the power to increase an employee’s compensation by up to 25% if an employer unreasonably fails to comply with a relevant Code of Practice.
The use of compensatory uplift by Employment Tribunals is a matter of judicial discretion based on the facts of each case.
Data on the use of compensatory uplifts by Employment Tribunals is not collected.
Asked by: Justin Madders (Labour - Ellesmere Port and Neston)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the adequacy of the availability of childcare for children with special educational needs in each constituency.
Answered by David Johnston - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department recognises the importance of ensuring that local authorities provide sufficient childcare services for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). The department continues to work closely with local authorities to monitor sufficiency of places for children in early years, including for those children with SEND.
The local authority statutory guidance on early education and childcare sets out a clear requirement that local authorities must report annually to elected council members on how they are meeting their duty to secure sufficient childcare and make this report available and accessible to parents. The statutory guidance is clear that the report should include a specific reference to how they are ensuring sufficient childcare is available to children with SEND.
The department is introducing Local Area Inclusion Plans (LAIPs) which are 3 year plans that explain how the needs of children and young people with SEND aged 0 to 25 in an area will be met. LAIPs will be monitored and reviewed by the department and be underpinned by strengthened accountabilities and improved use of data for all those responsible for local delivery of places.
Asked by: Justin Madders (Labour - Ellesmere Port and Neston)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to the press notice by her predecessor Department entitled BEIS in the Autumn Statement, published on 18 December 2022, what her planned timetable is for assessing the potential merits of (a) introducing social tariffs and (b) wider retail market reforms in the energy sector.
Answered by Amanda Solloway - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
A social tariff is fundamentally about supporting the most vulnerable with the cost of energy and this is what we have delivered. Between 2022-25 we are delivering a package of support worth £108 billion, or £3,800 per household on average, across 2022-25.
In 2023-24 we have supported millions of vulnerable households with up to £900 in further cost-of-living payments. Despite the Quarter 2 2024 Ofgem price cap falling nearly 60% since its 2023 peak, we have committed to supporting households past April, by cutting National Insurance, and increasing benefits and the National Living Wage.
We have also been working with Ofgem on their new involuntary prepayment meter rules and a long-term solution to end the prepayment meter premium. I met with suppliers at the end of last year to outline my expectation that they support vulnerable customers and improve their customer service.
The Government published a vision for a reformed retail energy market in July 2023 (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/delivering-a-better-energy-retail-market/delivering-a-better-energy-retail-market-a-vision-for-the-future-and-package-of-targeted-reforms-html) and set out further reform measures in a package of publications on 23 February 2024 (https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-package-of-measures-to-help-families-save-even-more-on-bills).
Asked by: Justin Madders (Labour - Ellesmere Port and Neston)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether it is the Department's policy to pay (a) legal costs and (b) damages in relation to allegedly defamatory comments made by Ministers.
Answered by Andrew Griffith - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer of 13 March 2024, Official Report, PQ 17407.